Barguns are typically comprised of a handle having a multiplicity of buttons thereon and a nozzle situated typically perpendicular to the handle, for dispensing a pre-selected fluid. Bar guns are well-known in the art.
Each button activates the dispensing of a concentrate and a diluent at a specific ratio. The bargun handle is provided with the pressurized concentrate and the pressurized diluent at this specific ratio by means of a proportioning pump associated to the concentrate and the diluent. A typical proportioning pump suitable for the invention is the SHURflo Brix Pump such as described in publication 911-332 Rev. J 1/98. This publication describes the process for cleaning the proportioning pump which consists in disconnecting the concentrate inlet tube from the concentrate source and placing this tube in a bucket of cleaning solution. The pump is then activated in a first step according to a sanitizing mode and then in a second step according to a dispensing mode.
The cleaning process described in this publication presents the inconvenient of not enabling a complete cleaning of all the lines in a single operation because according to the pump sanitizing operation of the manual there are two different operations that must be successively handled by the operator. Besides if the operator does not make them correctly he must restart the operations from the beginning For bargun dispensers which are configured for dispensing several concentrates, the cleaning operation must be repeated for as many pumps as there exist concentrates which can become fastidious for the operator.
Consequently there is need for simplifying the cleaning operation of a bargun implementing proportioning pumps.